Shifter
by Soaring-Drag0n
Summary: What if there was another experiment going on the same time as Mewtwo's? A boy's DNA gets infused with those of Pokémon. Now due to his new DNA structure he can transform into pokémon! Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm getting tired of doing this in my other story so I'm only saying this once:**

"Human talk"

'_Thinking´_

_-Pokémon talk-_

**Pokédex**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

**-x-**

Chapter 1

Emergency lights and an alarm was blaring while a computerized voice could be heard, "SAFETY RISK. PLEASE EVACUATE THE FACILITY." The scientists were running around in a panic; checking equipment, putting the smaller, movable experiments into carriers and carting them away, leaving the rest or less important ones to whatever fate awaited them.

Frightened eyes looked at the chaos through the bars of a door marked A-X. As everyone started to leave a bigger cage on wheels was pushed to this door. The being inside the small tried to hide under its bed, but two pairs of hands merely dragged it out and shoved it in the cage anyway. The small being sat huddled in the cage, shuddering in fear of what it believed to be coming. Then it noticed that it didn't recognize the hall they were taking. It looked at its new surroundings, curious even through the fear.

It was bigger and almost the same shiny grey as those horrible cold tables. But what really caught its attention, was the strange light that came from the end. The being had never experienced such brightness before. When they grew closer to the entryway it saw the most beautiful blue and it knew that it never wanted to lose sight of that colour again.

There was a sudden explosion from the wall in front of them, causing a chunk to hit the cage and it fell over. The being inside cried out in surprise and pain from hitting the unforgiving metal bars.

A distinctly animalistic figure stepped from the smoke, looking almost like a giant cat in armor. It looked at the cage before focusing on the men who had pushed/pulled it. "You truly are insignificant humans, using your own kind. Despicable." The being was shocked to hear the words in its head, like they were put there instead of heard. The creature shot two glowing dark-purple balls at the men, sending them flying backwards. It then looked to the cage once more and raised one of its three fingered hands. The being within cringed, thinking the cat was going to give it the same treatment, but instead the bars creaked and bent into an opening wide enough to climb out. "You are now free child. I suggest you find a way to leave this place." With that the creature blasted the roof and took off into that wonderful blue, pieces of the armor breaking of as it flew. The child climbed from the cage, running to the end of the hall.

It was amazed to find that the blue was everywhere above him with the source of the light seemingly flouting high above. Yes, the child was certain now; it was never going to lose sight of its freedom again, no matter what the cost.

**-x-**

Hours went by with the child first wandering outside the now abandoned building. At one point it realized it was hungry, but was reluctant to leave safety of the walls to search for food. This was, after all, the only place it had ever known, its _home_ if you will. Luckily it came upon the back door to the kitchen. It proceeded to gorge itself in all the different foods. Some of the food tasted better than the rest, not that it really mattered to the child and it made sure to stay away from the stinky food in the big bins.

Right now it was sleeping under some sort of plant close to the kitchen. The thing was big and brown, with lots of leaves at the top, plus the brown surface was rough. The child could only assume that this was what was called a tree. It had heard some of the people in white coats talk about one day and apparently there were supposed to be a lot of them. It decided that it liked trees, they provide shelter from the hot, bright light and it could still see the Blue through all the leaves.

It didn't know how long it slept, but a loud whirring noise had woken it up. Yet, when the child looked around, it found nothing out of the ordinary. Curiosity overtaking it, it decided to go look for the source of this new sound. _'Maybe it's another creature?'_ was its thoughts as it crept through more plants.

The sound of rustling leaves and footsteps came from its left. It curled itself into a tight ball to make itself as small as possible. A brown haired man stepped from the foliage. He wasn't young anymore, but not very old either, with lines only starting to show on his face. The man seemed to be looking for something or someone. Then his eyes fell on it and they grew wide from shock, then narrowed in anger and, finally, grew soft with sympathy.

"Where's your parents boy?"

"P-parents?" The child asked in confusion. It did not know of parents, "What are they?"

"The people who take care of you."

'_He means the people in white coats,'_ the child realized. "I don't have someone like that and all the people are gone. Everyone left. The big cat chased them away."

The man nodded, "I see, you're an orphan. I am Giovanni. What is your name?"

The child thought back to all the times the scientists spoke about it and remembered the writing on its door, _'A-X…that must be my name.'_ It looked to the man, "My name is Ax."

"Nice to meet you Ax," he held his hand out for Ax to take, but the child was weary of the stranger and stood up on its own. The man let his hand drop to his side before speaking again, "I have to leave soon. Do you want to come with me? I will take care of you as if you're my own son and teach you how to fight so that no one can hurt you."

"No one will hurt me anymore?" The child took a tentative step forward.

The man nodded, "No one. All you have to do is follow me." He held his hand out once more and this time the child took it.

"Then I'm coming too," it looked to the front as they started walking, completely missing Giovanni's sly smile.

**-x-**

"_Again!"_

He called, nodding his head as a signal.

Targets flipped up randomly only to light up and fall down again as various lightning bolts hit them. When the sequence ended, he was panting but another signal was given.

"_Again!"_

This time he was breathing heavily and had trouble seeing straight for a few seconds. Recomposing himself, he gave the signal again, but a voice on the overhead speakers interrupted him, "THAT'S ENOUGH. COME TO MY OFICE WHEN YOU'RE DONE." He nodded at the two-way mirror to show those beyond it that he heard and then trotted to the exit of his training area.

Entering his room, he caught sight of himself in the full length mirror and walked closer.

He was greeted by the visage of a dog-like Pokémon with a very short tail, surrounded by a fringe of spikes on its rear. He had four slender legs, each with a three-toed. His ears were large and pointed ears with black insides. He was covered in yellow fur, and had a white, spiky collar. It was soft now, but he knew he could make his fur sharp like needles on a whim by charging electricity through it.

'_Jolteon, definitely one of my favourite electrics, but I should put more practice in as Pikachu. Once I've mastered volt tackle I'll be able to ask Giovanni for a Thunderstone and evolve to Raichu.'_

Remembering that he was supposed to be somewhere, he focused and a warm white light encompassed him. It morphed and stretched, shifting to a new form then broke away as quickly as it came.

A teenage boy now stood in the jolteon's place. He had shortish tawny coloured hair that spiked a bit at the top with a strand or two going down the middle of his forehead to just above his eyebrows. His eyes were golden brown and his pupils were a somewhat animalistic slit. He was wearing a plain black tracksuit that had a red R over the left breast.

Yet, despite his strange eyes, what really drew your attention was a scar running over the teen's right eye. If he closed his eye you could trace its path. The scar started just above the right eyebrow and went down the middle of the eye before making a gentle curve to end two centimetres beneath his right ear.

Satisfied that he was presentable he exited his room and headed for the lift.

Upon reaching his destination, he lifted his hand to knock, but stopped when he heard voices and leaned a little closer to try and catch a few words. He could make out the muffled voice of a woman and then a man, but then Giovanni's voice rang out loud and clear, "Enough excuses! I want that pokémon by the end of the week or I'll be sending a more skilled operative take you're station and send you back to grunt work. That's final!"

Hearing the click of the receiver he schooled his face into one of respect before knocking. The command to enter came instantaneously.

Giovanni was sitting in his leather swivel chair, facing the big windows behind his desk. When he turned around you could see his persian curled up in his lap.

"Ah Ax, I've been meaning to talk to you. How is your training with Pikachu coming? I see you're still favouring Jolteon."

Ax went to stand in front of the desk, "Yes Giovanni, I was working on Jolteon because I feel my reaction time needs improvement. I only managed to hit 82% of the standing targets and 70% of the moving ones while standing still. As for Pikachu; I am now able to reach an acceptable speed for Volt tackle, but experience problems each time I try to maintain the power output of the electricity running through my body while focusing on staying at the correct speed. This causes me to slow down, thus reducing the effectiveness of the attack. Though, once I master Volt tackle I will know every move that a pikachu can do."

"Hmm, I see. Tell me Ax, how would you like to go on a long term mission?"

The teen thought about it, "Well I could do with getting out of here for a while. Goodness knows my Pokémon will appreciate being outside again. How long are we talking about?"

"Undetermined. It stays on-going until you manage to get your target."

"And just what is my target?"

Giovanni pressed a button somewhere on his desk and blinds covered the windows, making it almost seem like night. A screen came into view to Ax's left and he turned to study the displayed information. He was greeted by picture of a pikachu in the middle of performing a massive Thunderbolt.

He raised an eyebrow at Giovanni, "Seriously, a pikachu?"

"Yes. This one has an unusually high power output in its electrical attacks. We wish to see if this is because of a natural mutation only in pikachu and, if not, if it can also occur in other electric species."

"Okay, where can I find this pikachu? After all, there are lots of them out there."

The man pressed another button, "This is the pikachu's trainer."

Ax looked to the screen once more. It now showed a boy with the pikachu perched on his shoulder; he was laughing while scratching the pokémon behind its ears. The pikachu seemed content and very pleased with the attention.

Giovanni spoke again, "Squad Omega has been failing to catch it for months now and my patience with them has finally reached its end. I want you to take their place. You may use any method you see fit. You shall continue your training when possible. You are also allowed to catch more pokémon for yourself should you wish to and send me any rare pokémon you find. I expect a report every two weeks."

Ax nodded, "Yes sir." He was about to leave when Giovanni took something from a drawer and placed it in front of him, "Here."

The tawny haired teen took and examined the object. It was a plain square wooden box, a little bigger than his fist. Opening it up, he found an almost iridescent pokéball nestled in red velvet folds. The top half was like dark tinted glass while the bottom half was clear. The line in the middle was completely black and the button, white, with a capital A and Romanized X engraved in black in its centre.

"Keep this pokéball with you at all times. It's locked onto your DNA signature. In the event that you're beaten as a pokémon it will automatically draw you in and then teleport itself to the closest Team Rocket outpost where you will be treated accordingly. As an extra function it saves the coordinates to the location of your last defeat should you wish to return."

The teen closed the lid while nodding, "I understand. Thank you Giovanni." With that he left the office and went straight to his room to prepare for the trip.

**-x-**

**Please review. Flames will be used to make roasted marshmallows!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**I know what I said, but I'm gonna do it anyway at least for the first three chapters:**

"Human talk"

'_Thinking´_

_-Pokémon talk-_

**Pokédex**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

Chapter two

Should any one decide to look up they would see a Pidgeot soaring high above. Then if they look through binoculars they'd notice a black moon bag slung around its neck and that it was carrying a red and black back pack in its claws. Yet you'd have to see it up close to notice the scar over its right eye. But the only one to see this strange sight was a Pikachu and it frantically tried to get its trainer's attention. Unfortunately, by the time the boy looked up, the bird was gone.

**-x-**

I took a deep breath and then let it out in a contended sigh. _-Nothing quite beats flying with your own wings.-_

The feeling of the wind ruffling my feathers left me feeling great. I always try to set a bit of time aside for flying every day, no matter where I am. It became somewhat of a tradition to do so in celebration of my freedom. I would even let out my few flying pokémon to enjoy the flight with me.

But none of them were beside me now; I was on a mission.

I ran my target's description through my mind again.

_Black spiky hair that he keeps covered with a cap. It's red and black with a green pokéball symbol on the front. He wears mostly blue clothes, blue sneakers that are black on top and black fingerless gloves that'sgreen around his wrists. His back pack is green and has yellow zippers. The best way to spot him is by his Pikachu; it's usually either on his head or sitting on one of his shoulders._

Something yellow caught my eye and I turned my head a bit to get a better view.

'_There!'_

Sure enough the Pikachu was sitting on the boy's shoulder. Unfortunately he wasn't alone. A girl and an older boy were walking alongside him.

I changed my course slightly to follow them _-Hn, what a fool. Doesn't he know it's a bad idea to leave your Pokémon exposed like that?-_

Then a thought struck me and a plan began to form._ 'After all, wild Pokémon have a tendency to become jealous and some can be very territorial.'_

I swooped lower when I saw that the Pikachu had noticed me and found a clearing to land. After making sure to put my backpack down softly, I made quick work of transforming back to being human.

I was wearing my white track shoes, navy blue 3 quarter pants and a white T-shirt that hung out from under my black sleeveless sweatshirt. My black moon bag, which I used to carry my pokéballs, was strapped over my right thigh. I quickly put my backpack on. It was a simple black backpack with a red covering flap and my signature AX symbol in white in the middle of the black. A capital A with a Romanised X for the number ten. After all that's who I've been since my days in the lab; A-X or, as I named myself on that glorious day, Ax.

After making sure that everything was in place I headed in the direction I saw my target going, knowing that if I stayed on that path I'd eventually run into them.

'_I intend to enjoy my time outside. Who knows, I just might come across a Pokémon that interests me.'_

**-x-**

They finally came into view after about an hour's worth of walking; they were resting in a big open clearing next to a river.

By the looks of it they were planning on staying here for a while. Some Water Types were relaxing and enjoying themselves by the water's edge while an assortment of other Pokémon were scattered around their trainers. The biggest I could spot was an Onix basking in the sun and a Tauros was making good use of the space by running around.

I quickly removed my backpack, hiding it in the upper branches of a tree. I changed the same time I jumped, the same bright light as always surrounding me. When I landed my appearance was that of a spider-like Pokémon. My body was red with black stripes and there was an unhappy face on my abdomen. I now had four yellow legs with purple stripes and two similar appendages on my back. Both my horn and mandibles were white. And of course, I still had my ever present scar. My moon bag was hidden safely beneath my neck.

_-He he, time to have some fun.-_

I decided to stay true to the nature of my choice and crept up on them like a predator stalking its prey.

The girl noticed me first and boy did she have a way to announce it to the world. "AAAAHHH! A BUG!"

She moved so fast you could have sworn she was using Quick Attack; she was on the other side of their little 'camp' and behind the boy with the cap in a flash. The two boys' reactions to her outburst were just as quick, only more subdued.

"Wow, I wonder what kind of pokémon that is," the Pikachu's trainer got his pokédex out and pointed it to me. Deciding to humor him, I kept still for the thing to scan me.

After a few seconds a computerized voice gave the boy his answer. **Ariados, the Long Leg Pokémon. The evolved form of Spinarak. Ariados is able to spin extremely strong and sticky webs to trap its adversaries.**

The bigger boy spoke up, "Hmm, Ariados huh? They usually stay in forested areas. This one must have been drawn out by the smell of our Pokémons' food."

"I don't care why it's here Brock! Just make it go away!" The girl cried from over the other boy's shoulder.

_-So you're afraid of bugs? Ha, you're such a girl.-_ I started walking towards her just for the fun of it.

"U-oh, um Misty I think you made it mad…" The boy with the cap spoke up again while watching me. He was clearly nervous, as he gulped when I got closer. My progress was stopped however when the Pikachu and other Pokémon came between us. The Pikachu stepped from the line to address me, _-You leave Ash alone!- _

A whiny voice interrupted me and turning my head in its direction, I found a Psyduck clutching its head, _-Please not so loud Pikachu, I have another headache.-_ He then looked to me, _-And you, please stop scaring Misty. Her screaming only makes it worse.-_

The poor duck immediately had my sympathy. I was immensely happy the day I evolved to a Golduck; those pre-evolutionary headaches were a killer. Though, of course no one needed to know that.

_-Hn, it's not like I'm going to hurt them. I was just having a little fun. But very well, I'll stop in exchange for a battle. Any one of you will do, I suppose.-_

"What did it say Pikachu?" I looked on in interest as the Pikachu managed to relay my challenge to his trainer through a series of gestures, almost like charades.

"So, you want a battle Ariados?" I nodded in affirmation.

"Okay then, hey Pikachu you up for a match?"

_-Definitely, you can count on me Ash!-_ The other Pokémon moved out of the way as the Pikachu stepped forward. The boy they called Brock interrupted us, "Hold on Ash, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, just look at that scar. This Ariados must be tough to have survived a battle looking like that. It clearly has a lot of experience."

"Yeah, but so do we. Okay Pikachu let's start off with a Tail Whip!"

Knowing what to expect, I waited till the Pikachu was at the peak of his jump before dodging to the side. I then reared onto my hind legs and hit him with Fury Swipe four times before sending him to the ground with my final blow.

He righted himself somewhat before landing hard. The Pikachu now sported a few scrapes, but other than that appeared to be fine.

"Pikachu try getting it with Thunder Shock!"

Seeing the electricity starting to spark over his red cheeks, I quickly drove my legs into the earth till they were about an inch deep and pressed my body as close to the ground as possible just as the Pikachu let the electricity go.

I could feel it hit me and go through me, but I could also tell that I would have sustained quite a bit more damage if I hadn't been as grounded as I was.

I stayed still for a few seconds longer for all the electricity to leave my system.

Unfortunately, for me, the boy didn't let the opportunity go to waste, "Use Tackle!"

_-Right-_ The Pikachu came towards me and quickly picked up speed._-Here goes!-_ He hit my let side head on, sending me flying, though I curled my legs and tucked my head in to roll with the landing.

'_Well, well. He's better than I thought. But I think it's time to end this.'_

I was back on my feet in a flash. Seeing that I had rolled farther than I originally thought, I used Agility to get up close and personal with the Pikachu. This time I sent him running away with my sudden appearance and a Scary Face which was made all the more frightening with the cast of shadows and my scar. I caught him with String Shot though, before he could get too far. I then spun the string around a few times before letting go.

When the Pikachu landed he tried to get up twice, but eventually fainted from dizziness.

The boy rushed to his Pikachu's side, "Pikachu, are you okay?" The fallen Pokémon only managed a slight groan so I answered for him,_ -Don't worry, he just needs some rest. I thank you for the battle.- _After that I left without looking even once in the girl's direction as promised.

I made sure to leave via a different route than the one I used to get there and continued on this path till I was well out of the group and their Pokémon's sights.

**-x-**

After reacquiring my belongings I decided to wait a few days before introducing myself to the trio. It would have to look like a coincidence and it wouldn't do to have any of those Pokémon recognising my scar as the same as the Ariados.

So I kept going in their approximate direction, always staying far enough away to not be noticed, but keeping them in my sight.

I soon became aware of another pursuing party and one day went to investigate the group. What I found was the infamous Squad Omega; Jessie, James and the Meowth capable of human speech. They were making preparations for another attempt at capturing the desired Pikachu. It was some sort of mechanical contraption with an electricity proof compartment in which to store the Pikachu.

As I listened in I could see that the Meowth's plans were clearly the only thing that kept them going. "No Jesse, use Arbok to draw Pikachu away from the twerp then James can use Weezing's Smokescreen to cover our tracks while we get Pikachu."

I decided to stick close to them, thinking of this as the perfect opportunity to gain the boy's trust. I couldn't help but study the Meowth as they went. _'Giovanni did say I may get more Pokémon that interest me… and technically the Meowth already belongs to Team Rocket. So there should be no problem with me taking him for myself. These two buffoons only seem to be holding him back and I can see that he'd make an excellent fighter- with some training of course.'_

I made my choice as they put their plan into action.

I released my Fearow and gave him the specific instructions to stop them from obtaining Pikachu and to not harm the kids and their Pokémon. I also asked him to try and send the Meowth in my direction.

A minute or two later I saw him flying overhead before turning back, but I could hear a distinct shout coming from the sky, "HEEELP MEEEE!"

I quickly jumped to a tree then jumped again to catch the Meowth in mid-air. Landing safely, I set him down, "Are you alright?" The Meowth gave himself a quick check up before looking to me, "Yeah, thanks pal. You really saved my bacon there. The name's Meowth."

"Well it was kinda my fault; I asked him to bring you here. I wanted to talk to you."

He gave me a wary look, "Why?"

"Tell me, Meowth, have you ever heard of Shifter?"

He struck a thinking pose, "Hmm, it sounds familiar…Oh I know!" He slammed one paw into the other, "That's the name of one of Team Rocket's top secret agents. He's what they call the best of the best."

I crossed my arms, "Wow, I didn't know the lower ranks thought so highly of me."

"Heh, what do you mean you?" I gave him a moment as I saw the understanding form in his eyes. "Ah, you're him? But you're just a kid! He shouted as he jumped in up from where he was sitting.

"That may be, but believe it or not I am Shifter."

"I don't believe you," Meowth turned as if wanting to walk away.

"Oh? Then what do you want as proof?"

He turned back around, "They say he got his name by turning into Pokémon."

"Okay, any preferences?"

Meowth shook his head, "What does it matter? You either can or you can't."

Despite his faked nonchalance I saw him watch me with keen eyes. The warping light enveloped me and a moment later I stood before him as another Meowth with a scar and my moon bag hanging around my shoulder.

I went to sit in front of him, _-How's this for proof?-_

I'm pretty sure that his jaw would have dropped to the ground if it weren't attached to his head. Instead he stood there wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

_-I have an offer for you Meowth. How would you like to join my team? I can see that you have a lot of potential and being in Squad Omega is suppressing that potential. I'll help train you so that you can become the dignified Persian I know you're meant to be.-_

I stopped when I saw my Fearow fly overhead once more and changed back, "Think about it. I'll be waiting for your answer tomorrow morning. You'll find me with those kids." With that I left him standing there while I ran to the dust cloud that was being created by my Fearow. _'Great, he's going overboard again.'_

-x-

I arrived just in time to see Jesse and James be blown away by a strong gust of wind, along with the strange contraption.

"TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OF AGAIN!"

The Fearow came to rest on the road beside me and I patted his wing, "You did a good job Tornado. You deserve a nice rest." With that I withdrew him to his pokéball.

The trio ran up to me, looking a little ruffled themselves with a few twigs and leaves in their hair. The Pikachu's trainer spoke first, "Wow! That Fearow belongs to you? You must be very good to be able to train it."

"I'm sorry if Tornado got you with some of his attacks as well. He can get a little carried away some times."

"No problem, he helped save Pikachu. I'm Ash Ketchum."

The girl gave a little wave, "Hi, my name's Misty and this is Togepi," she said while gesturing to the egg-like Pokémon in her arms.

The older boy nodded in greeting, "And my name's Brock."

I smiled, "Pleased to meet you. You can just call me Ax. So, where are you guys headed anyway, do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all! We're going to the Orange Islands to fetch a strange pokéball for Professor Oak." Ash answered as we started walking.

"Hm, I don't think I've been to the Orange Islands before. And I've been almost everywhere in Kanto and Hoenn, though I hope to someday travel through Johto as well. I hear there are all kinds of different Pokémon there."

It was Misty's turn to ask a question now, "So Ax, are you a trainer?"

I thought about what to say, since I couldn't tell them the truth for obvious reasons. "You could say that. I'm more part of the research sector than battling, but I've learned a trick or two over the years."

The rest of the afternoon was spent exchanging questions and getting to know each other.

I learned that Brock used to be the Pewter City Gym Leader, but left to instead become a Pokémon breeder. Misty, however, was the current Gym Leader for the Cerulean Gym. Ash's goal was to become one of the best Pokémon Masters there ever was. I told them my reason for traveling was to explore and document rare Pokémon.

As the sun was getting lower we started looking for a place to set up camp and found a suitable spot with a little stream flowing nearby.

I offered to get firewood as an excuse to search for a place to train. I was pleased to find a secluded meadow with some rock formations scattered around maybe an hour's walk away from camp, but I could run there within half an hour.

Quickly collecting the promised firewood, I started walking back and arrived just as the sun touched the horizon.

**-x-**

By the time the sun was completely gone and the first stars were out, we had already eaten and were now sitting around the fire while exchanging stories.

Ash just finished relating their encounter with the Unown.

"Wow Ash, that's quite the adventure. I wish I could have seen them," I said while stretching a bit where I sat.

Misty turned to me, "What about you Ax? You said earlier that you look for rare Pokémon."

Ash also spoke, "Yeah! You must have seen tons of awesome Pokémon over the years."

Every ones attention was on me now.

I was quiet for a while, thinking about what I should tell them. My thoughts drifted to the day Giovanni took me in and then to the creature that saved me.

"Well I suppose there is this one that really stands out; kind of like your meeting with the Unown."

I could tell they were looking at me intently, even though my gaze was focused on the fire. In my mind I could once again see the silhouette of my saviour against the flames that were created by the blast.

"I think it was probably the first time I saw a real Pokémon up close. I was eight years old and don't really remember what happened before hand. What I do know is that the building I was in was on fire and that there was no way for me to escape. But a strange creature came walking out of the flames and helped me. It looked like a giant cat, but it was standing on its hind legs and had thin arms with three fingered hands. Oh, and its tail was thicker at the end. I couldn't really make out its colour, but if I had to guess, I'd say some sort of purple. Once I was out it flew away. I guess part of the reason I started my journey in the first place was because I hope to see it again; I never got the chance to thank it for rescuing me."

Even as I said these words, I knew that they were true despite the fact that most of what I told them was not even half of the truth.

"That's amazing, I hope you do find it one day." Brock said. I looked to him before standing up, "Thanks. We should get to sleep; there's a long day of walking ahead of us. Goodnight."

The other two climbed into their sleeping bags and said goodnight in turn as I doused the fire before getting into my own.

**-x-**

I awoke to the dim light of predawn,_ 'It is time.'_

Quickly repacking my sleeping bag, I silently made my way to the meadow.

Placing a customized timer on a flattish rock I changed into Poochyena, pressed the timer and started running, ducking and weaving between the rocks in a particular way then going back to stop the timer. Taking note of my time, I reset it and started again.

About a half hour into my training I became aware of another presence nearby. By the scent on the breeze I could tell that it was a Pokémon, though its smell was unfamiliar to me.

I circled around and into the taller grass to creep up on it from behind. _'Maybe it's a rare Pokémon. Then I can catch it for Giovanni.'_

Seeing the silhouette against the rising sun and finding its back turned to me, I prowled a bit closer before pouncing with a snarl, mouth open wide for a Bite.

"Aaaahh! Please don't hurt me!"

I skidded to a halt in surprise, _-Meowth? I didn't think you'd come to me this early.-_

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you Shifter, but the twerps and me aren't exactly on the same page. I thought it'd be a better idea if I came when you weren't with them, ya know?"

_-I guess that's understandable. So have you made your choice?-_

His face was set with determination, "I'm coming with you. Sure we were together for a while, but Jesse and James don't appreciate me anymore. I want to prove that I'm not useless; to them and myself."

I had changed back by then and nodded down at him, "Okay then, follow me."

We went back to where I had put the timer. I looked to the sun's position, wondering if there was enough time to quickly introduce Meowth to my team, but decided against it. I quickly retrieved the timer and started heading back to the campsite.

I noticed that Meowth was walking a bit behind me. At first I thought he was simply having trouble keeping up, but then I realised that he must be nervous; he didn't know how to act around me, afraid that he might upset me and he was worried about the other's reaction to him. I could see his problem. I had quite the reputation in Team Rocket and whenever I met someone of lower rank in the halls they'd quickly clear the way, even the scientists who monitor my training sessions show me respect. Plus I can look a little intimidating with my scar.

'_I'll have to show him that there's no need to fear me,'_ he took a glance at me and seeing me watching him looked back down,_ 'and fast.' _

As for the kids…we'll get to that when we get there.

Then a thought struck me and I stopped, turning completely to gauge his reaction, "Hey Meowth, I know this is probably sudden, but how do you feel about pokéballs?"

"What do you mean?"

Seeing I'll need to explain. I elaborated, "Have you ever been _inside_ a pokéball yet? If you weren't then I was wondering if it's alright with you if I 'catch' you. Of course the pokéball I use will then be sent to storage since that'll officially make you my eighth Pokémon."

"I see…" he seemed to be struggling with the decision.

"But hey, we don't have to do it right now, I just thought I'd put it out there; something to think about. Meanwhile, how about I give you a ride? Your paws must be tired."

He simply stared at me for a full minute, "Really?" I nodded with a smile and he studied my face before coming forwards slowly. Once he reached my feet, I picked him up and held him in my arms by my chest. "Is this alright?"

"Um yeah, thanks…Shifter."

I chuckled, "Ax."

"What?"

"My name, it's Ax. I'd rather not mention any of this Shifter business in front of the others, alright?"

He nodded and I started walking once more.

**-x-**

We arrived just in time for breakfast.

"Good morning guys." I said as I walked into camp.

I was greeted with surprised expressions. It was Ash who finally broke the silence, "Ax! Where were you?"

"I was training in a meadow not too far from here. Then I found this Meowth on my way back. The poor thing was lying unconscious on the forest floor so I decided to bring it back to camp with me. It woke up on the way, but hadn't made so much a mew yet. I'm worried it might be sick with how still it's been so I'm going to feed it some of my emergency Citrus Berries."

I hoped Meowth would get the idea of just acting like a normal Pokémon for now. But he seemed to catch on as he only threw them wary glances before yawning and snuggling his head in the crook of my elbow.

Misty bent down to look at him, "Aw, how cute. I hope it's alright. Hi little Meowth."

Without further ado, I gave him two Citrus Berries for the sake of appearances then placed him on my folded up sleeping bag and whispered, "Try to stay on four legs for now," before joining the others for breakfast.

After clearing the campsite, we were once again on the road to Orange Islands with Meowth taking a nap in my arms.

**-x-**

**Let me know what you think please.**


End file.
